Few people could blame Omar Brown for feeling enormously better about his future in the NFL after the Ravens rookie free safety had an interception, two fumble recoveries and two tackles in Thursday night’s 31-17 preseason victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

But Brown, an undrafted rookie, said he is trying to prevent that from inflating his confidence.

“It was a great start for me. I’ve taken all the praise, but I still keep a level head coming out here,” he said after Saturday’s practice at the team’s headquarters in Owings Mills. “I’m working hard and just putting that win under the rug and moving on to the next one.”

Brown’s interception at the end of the third quarter demonstrated his skill in pass coverage, but there is a perception that his recovered fumbles were products of simply being in the right place at the right time.

Brown said he understands that sentiment, but pointed out that taking advantage of those chances is what helps players stand out.

“It’s all about, when that opportunity presents itself, can you make the play? And I showed that whenever I got the opportunity, I did make the play,” he said.

On a roster with seven safeties, the competition to make the 53-man roster is still crowded. After starters Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard, the Ravens signed Sean Considine as a free agent, selected Christian Thompson in the fourth round of April’s NFL draft, and have valued Emanuel Cook’s contributions on both defense and special teams.

So what does Thursday night’s performance mean for Brown?

“I think that was a great performance and maybe it does give me an edge,” he said. “But at the same time, the guys made good plays out there, too. So I have to keep working hard.”